Door and latch structure

ABSTRACT

IN THE BACK WALL OF A BUS, A DOOR ENABLING LARGE PACKAGES OR OTHER ITEMS TO BE BROUGHT INTO THE BUS FROM THE REAR. SLIDABLE ABOVE THE DOOR IN THE REAR WALL OF THE BUS, IS A WINDOW PANEL WHICH MUST BE SLID TO ONE SIDE OF THE DOOR BEFORE THE DOOR CAN BE OPENED. THE INTERIOR PANELING IN THE BUS OVERLYING THE DOOR IS REMOVABLY ATTACHED TO THE DOOR, AND A SPRING BIAS LATCH MECHANISM IS PROVIDED FOR LATCHING THE DOOR WITH RESPECT TO THE SURROUNDING JAMB STRUCTURE. THE LATCH IS ACTUATED THROUGH A HANDLE WHICH, WHEN NOT IN USE, IS CONCEALED IN A COMPARTMENT IN THE TOP OF THE DOOR.

Feb-.2, 1971 QsHERBERT ETAL 3,559,342

noon AND LATCH STRUCTURE Original Filed July 2o, 19e7 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORY moms L. SHERBERT muson M. SHERBERT ATTORNEY S Feb. 2, 1971 T. L. SHERBERT ETAL DOOR AND LATCH STRUCTURE Original Filed July 20,- 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGS THOMAS L. SHERBERT TILLISON M. SHERBERT BY M, W a dam- ATTORNEYf United States Patent O Original application July 20, 1967, Ser. No. 654,865, now,

Patent No. 3,455,597, dated July 8, 1969. Divided and this application Apr. 4, 1969, Ser. No. 813,460

Int. Cl. E06]: 3/50 US. Cl. 49-143 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In the back wall of a bus, a door enabling large packages or other items to be brought into the bus from the rear. Slidable above the door in the rear wall of the bus, is a window panel which must be slid to one side of the door before the door can be opened. The interior paneling in the bus overlying the door is removably attached to the door, and a spring bias latch mechanism is provided for latching the door with respect to the surrounding jamb structure. The latch is actuated through a handle which, when not in use, is concealed in a compartment in the top of the door.

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a division of my copending US. application, Ser. No. 654,865 filed July 20, 1967 and entitled Passenger Vehicles, now Pat. No. 3,455,597.

SUMMARY OF OBJECTS AND INVENTION The present invention relates to a novel door and latch structure and although particularly suitable for use in a passenger vehicle such as a bus they may be used in other environments.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel door and latch structure.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in a bus, an improved door and surrounding structure for permitting entry into the bus of large packages, parcels or other items. Included herein is such a door having a novel latch which effectively holds the door in closed position and yet may be quickly and conveniently operated for purposes of releasing the door for opening.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of such a rear door in a bus which may be employed with safety and without increasing the space requirements in the bus nor adversely affecting the appearance of the bus or the comfort of its occupants.

The above and other objects are achieved by providing a door in the rear Wall of the bus offset towards the right-hand side of the bus to swing clockwise towards the left side of the bus into open position resting against the left-hand portion of the external rear wall of the bus. In this manner, the door does not extend beyond the sides of the bus when in open position. Sliding window panels are provided in the rear wall of the bus, and the window panel that is positioned above the rear door is slidably received in a channel fixed to the top surface of the rear door. The top edge of this window panel slides in a channel fixed in the upper portion of the rear wall of the bus, and thus it is necessary to open the window panel by sliding beyond one side of the rear door before the latter may be opened.

To secure the door in closed position, a latch is provided including a slidable bolt mounted in the door for movement between a retracted position in the door and an extended position projecting laterally from the side of the door to be received in an aperture in the adjacent "ice jamb structure formed in the rear wall of the bus. The spring biases the bolt to the retracted position, and to extend the bolt for latching, a cam is provided to be engageable with the bolt to cam it into the extended position.

Actuation of the cam is through an elongated actuator rod mounted for vertical reciprocable movement in the door with the cam being fixed thereto and the top portion of the rod having a pivoted handle. When the handle is pivoted in one direction, the rod is moved to space the cam from the bolt thus permitting the biasing spring to retract the bolt for releasing the door. When the handle is released, a spring associated with the rod returns the rod to engage the cam against the bolt thereby extending the bolt into latching position. The door is formed with a top compartment for receiving and concealing the handle when the door is closed.

The interior panel of the bus overlying the rear door is provided with a clip or other suitable fastener which engages'over a cross piece fixed in the rear door on its interior side. To open the door, this interior panel is first removed from the door, and assuming the window panel has been moved to open position beyond one side of the door, the compartment in the top of the door'is opened and the latch handle pivoted to unlatch the door. The door may then be opened manually.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following more detailed description in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the interior of a passenger vehicle such as a bus incorporating the door and latch structure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmental, cross-sectional view taken generally along lines 22 of FIG. 1 showing a portion of the bus interior; FIG. 3 is a fragmental, elevational view of the rear wall in the bus as seen from the interior thereof and illustrating the door interior, interior paneling including seats, and window panels;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmental view of the rear door included in the rear wall of the bus with portions of the door paneling being broken away to show an internal latch; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmental, cross-sectional view taken generally along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is shown for purposes of illustration only, a bus generally designated 10 incorporating a door generally designated of the present invention, Bus 10 has a generally rectangular body and typically includes opposite side walls 12 and 14 extending longitudinally of the bus and opposite front and rear walls 16 and 18 extending transversely between the side walls with the front wall including a suitable windshield. In front of the bus are the drivers seat 20 steering wheel 22 and dash 24 while on the adjacent right-hand side, a case 26 houses the engine (not shown). Door 28 swing upwardly from case 26 to provide access to the engine for purposes of maintenance or replacement.

Passenger entrance into the bus is through a conventional folding door 30 in the right front side of the bus while exit is through a similar folding door 32 provided also in the right-hand side but towards the rear of the bus. One or more steps 34 extend downwardly from the floor 36 of the bus at side doors 30, 32. As shown in FIG. 1 hand rails 38 are situated on the right-hand side of doors 30, 32 while another hand rail 40 is provided behind the drivers seat. Side walls 12, 14 may have any suitable or conventional construction such as may include a lower non-transparent portion 42 formed from appropriate material and an upper portion formed by glass window panels 44 slidable in U-shaped channels attached in side walls 12, 14 to receive the upper and lower longitudinally extending edges of the window panels. Although not shown, the bus may have any suitable roof.

The passenger seats, generally designated 50, are mounted to be adjustable between a position facing transversely of the bus as shown in FIG. 1 and a position facing longitudinally and forwardly of the bus (not shown). This adjustability is achieved through individual mounting mechanisms associated with each of the seats and being disclosed and claimed in our aforementioned prior copending application, Ser. No. 654,865 the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated into the present application where necessary. In the transversely facing position such as indicated in FIG. 1, seats 50 may be placed with their adjacent ends in abutting engagement to form in efiect, a substantially continuous seating surface along the side of the bus. Sufficient space designated 53 is also provided between the rearmost seats 50 and back seats 45, 47 which extend transversely between sides 12, 14. Because of the interruption by side doors 30, 32, seats 50 on that side of the bus do not extend continuously in the same manner as the seats on the opposite side. Moreover in the shown embodiment one of the seats 50a is reduced in size in order to be accommodated in the space between side doors 30, 32.

Rear seats 45, 47 are not adjustable as seats 50, but rather are removably positioned on raised ledge structures 100 and 102 fixed across the rear of the bus as shown in FIGS. 2 and 9. Seats 45, 47 rest on the horizontal top surfaces 101, 103 of ledges 100, 102 and for reasons to be described later, ledges 100, 102 are spaced from each other by an opening 104 which underlies a portion of seat 47; the latter having its opposite ends supported on ledges 100, 102 as shown in FIG. 9. Rear panel 106 which forms the backrest associated with rear seat 47 is also removable as will be described subsequently.

Turning now to the present invention, in order to permit entry of large packages, parcels and other items into the bus from the rear thereof to avoid interference and congestion at the entrance door 30 or in the aisle, rear wall 18 is provided with door 130. Preferably and as shown, door 130 is offset towards the right-hand side of the bus, it being suitably hinged at 132 for swinging movement clockwise between a closed position indicated in solid lines in FIG. 1 and an open position wherein engages the exterior surface of the rear wall 18 with the free edge 134 of the door spaced inwardly from the lefthand side of the bus as indicated in the dotted lines in FIG. 1. In the shown embodiment, door 130 has a hollow construction with a generally rectangular shape dimensioned to fit in snug fashion in its associated opening in rear wall 18 when in closed position. The exterior panel of the door is formed from the same material as the paneling of the rear wall 18 with which it is substantially flush and forms a substantially continuous surface when the door is closed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Similarly the top edge 138 of the door terminates in the same plane as the top of the rear wall paneling as shown in FIG. 5.

Above door 130 and the rear wall paneling are windows 44a and 44b whose upper and lower edges are slidable in U-shape channels 49 fixed transversely in the upper portion (not shown) of rear wall 18 and on the top surfaces of the rear wall paneling and door as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. A short channel piece 51 is provided in rear wall 18 just beyond the adjacent end channel 40 on the door, to receive the lower leading edge of window 44a in the fully closed position. Similarly a short channel piece (not shown) is provided in an upper portion of rear wall 18 to receive the upper leading edge of window 44a in the fully closed position. It will thus be seen that in order to open door 130, window 44a must be moved to the fully opened position entirely beyond the hinged side of the door.

For positively securing the door in its closed position against movement there is provided a latch mechanism which in the shown embodiment, includes a slide bolt 140 mounted for slidable movement in the door between a fully retracted position fully within the door as shown in FIG. 4 and an extended or projected position beyond the free edge 134 of the door for reception into a corresponding aperture 142 formed in a vertical partition 144 fixed to rear wall 18 to form the jamb of the door. A U- shaped bracket having its legs 146 fixed to the interior side of the free edge of the door, may be employed to mount slide bolt 140 for the aforementioned movement. Slide bolt 140 passes through a sleeve 147 fixed about an aperture in the free edge of the door and an aligned aperture formed in the yoke piece, 48 of the bracket. A spring shown as a coil compression spring 140 biases slide bolt 140 into its retracted position. Spring 150 is received within the bracket about slide bolt 140 with one end bearing against the free edge 134 of the door and the other end bearing against a suitable member such as a collar 152 fixed to the slide bolt.

To extend the slide bolt for latching, an actuator mechanism is provided including a cam 154 fixed to an actuator rod 156 to be movable against the inner end of slide bolt 140 to cam the latter outwardly upon downward movement of actuator rod 156. Cam 154 may be formed by a flat member extending approximately 45 with respect to the bolt 140 and suitably fixed at an intermediate upper portion of rod 156 which extends vertically in the interior of the door between the top and bottom edges thereof. Mounting of actuator rod 156 may be accomplished in any suitable way such as by an L-shaped bracket 158 fixed to exterior panel 136 of the door and having an aperture receiving an intermediate portion of the actuator rod. The lower end of actuator rod 156 is mounted in a U-shaped bracket whose legs 160 are fixed to the bottom panel 162 of the door; the bracket having a yoke piece 164 apertured to receive the actuator rod.

Under normal conditions, actuator rod 156 is biased downwardly to maintain slide bolt 140 in its extended position through cam 154 bearing against the slide bolt. This biasing may be accomplished such as by a compression coil spring 166 shown in FIG. 4 as located within bracket 160 with one end bearing against yoke piece 164 and the opposite end bearing against a washer 166 fixed to actuator rod 156. Additionally an aperture 37 may be provided in the floor 36 of the bus to receive the lower end of rod 156 to further lock the door in closed position.

In order to raise actuator rod 156 to space cam 154 from the slide bolt and permit the associated spring 150 to retract the slide bolt for unlatching the door, rod 156 must be moved upwardly. In the preferred embodiment, this is accomplished through a handle 170 having a hooked end 172 the extremity of which is pivotally connected by pin 174 to the upper end of actuator rod 156 as shown in FIG. 4. A compartment 176 formed by a bottom wall 178 and opposite end walls 180 extending between side walls 182, is recessed in the upper surface of the door to receive handle '170 in its idle position where rod 156 is biased downwardly by spring [166. Bottom wall 17 8 of compartment 176 forms an abutment surface for engaging nose portion 172 of the handle upon counterclockwise movement of the handle from a horizontal position lying in the compartment to a generally vertical position, for raising the actuator rod against the bias of its associated spring 166. This will space cam 154 from slide bolt 140 and permit spring 150 to retract the latter.

After handle 170 is pivoted upwardly to raise rod 156 the latter may be maintained in its raised position by pivoting the handle beyond a position centered over the rod such as shown in FIG. 4. In this position, abutment surface 178 prevents the rod from pivoting back and also biasing spring 166 serves to im ress an overcenter bias on the handle maintaining it in the raised position. When it is desired to latch the bolt in its aperture I142 in the jamb 144, handle 170 is merely pivoted clockwise beyond center whereupon spring 166 will quickly retract the actuator rod while also causing the handle to return within its compartment 176. To conceal the handle in the compartment, a suitable closure or fiap such as 186 pivoted at 188 may be provided in the top of the door.

Rear interior panel 106 is removable from rear door 130 in order to provide access to the latch mechanism and its actuator rod. Preferably panel 106 is attached to the interior side of door 130 by means of a suitable clip or clips 190 fixed across the rear surface of panel 106 to be received over a cross-piece 192 (see FIG. fixed across the door at the inner side thereof. Clip 190 may be easily disengaged from cross-piece 192 merely by lifting panel 106. The width of interior panel 106 generally corresponds to the width of the door. However, the lower edge of panel 106 terminates at the level of top surfaces 101, 103 of the ledges which support rear seats 45, 47. The space 104 below rear seat 47 and between ledges 100, 102 is closed by a rectangular panel 196 fixed acros the lower interior side of door 1130.

Assuming that door 130 is in the closed latched position and it is desired to open the same for use, window 44a must be slid completely to one side of the door, and rear seat 47 removed by lifting off ledges 100, 102. Compartment cover 186 is then opened and handle 170 pivoted to the position shown in FIG. whereupon actuator rod 156 will be raised to space cam 154 from slide bolt 140 which will then be free to move inwardly out of aperture 142 in the jamb. Door .130 may then be opened manually and rested against the exterior surface of rear wall 18'. To close the door, the above steps are reversed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a passenger vehicle having opposite side walls extending longitudinaly of the vehicle and a rear wall extending transversely of the vehicle between said side walls, said rear wall having an opening therein offset towards one side of said vehicle, a door located in a lower section of said opening in said rear wall, hinge means hinging the door to said rear wall for swinging movement between a closed position located in said opening and an open position wherein the door extends laterally towards the opposite side of the vehicle with the outermost of the door being spaced inwardly from said other side of the vehicle to avoid projection of the door beyond the side of the vehicle when in open position, a transparent window panel slidable in the rear wall over the door between a closed position in said opening above the door and an open position towards said other side of the vehicle, a first guide means fixed to a top section of the door and receiving a bottom portion of the window panel for slidable movement, second guide means fixed on the said rear wall above said opening and window panel and slidably receiving said window panel such that the window panel must first be moved to the open position towards said other side before the door may be opened.

2. In a passenger vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein said door contains a latch means including a bolt extendible into said rear wall and retractable into the door out of the rear wall to permit opening of the door, and wherein there is included means for actuating said latch means including a manually operable handle, said door containing a compartment in said upper section thereof receiving said handle.

3. In a passenger vehicle as defined in claim 2 wherein sail latch means include a first spring means biasing said bolt into retracted position, and wherein said actuating means includes an actuating rod operatively connected to said handle to be moved thereby for urging said bolt into extended position against the bias of said spring means, and a second spring means biasing said actuating rod out of engagement with said bolt means, said actuating rod being operable through said handle against the bias of said second biasing means to engage and extend said bolt for latching the door.

4. In a vehicle as defined in claim 3 wherein said actuating means further includes a cam fixed thereon to be engagable with said bolt for extending the same.

5. In a passenger vehicle including a wall having an opening, a door, means mounting the door in the lower section of said opening for movement between a closed position wherein the door is positioned in the opening and an open position wherein the door is positioned out of the opening, a window panel, means mounting the window panel for movement between a closed position located in the opening above the door and an open position located out of said opening, a latch means in the door for releasably latching the door to said wall, said latch means including a bolt movable between a retracted position located within the door and an extended position in latching engagement with said wall, a first spring means biasing said bolt to said retracted position thereof, means for actuating said bolt into extended position including an actuating rod mounted within said door for movement between a first position spaced from said bolt and a secend position engaging said bolt for extending the same, and second spring means biasing said actuating rod out of engagement with said bolt.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 792,173 6/1905 Smiley 49143 801,892 10/1905 Morris 49-143X KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 49-395 

